Three years ago, Chris Paul was coming off his tenth All-Star season and the Phoenix Suns were coming off an 8-0 run in the bubble in their first season under Monty Williams. Paul was looking for a new team, and the Suns were looking for a co-star for Devin Booker to help them take the next step.
Leveraging the bond Williams had formed with Paul as a rookie head coach a decade prior in New Orleans, the Suns traded for the future Hall of Famer and made it all the way to the Finals that season. This is the power of relationships in the NBA: players are drawn to coaches they can trust.
Introduced Tuesday as the new head coach of the Pistons, Williams wants to restore a proud franchise to greatness. He brings a downtrodden team instant credibility. The Suns went from the most losses in the NBA the four seasons prior to Williams' arrival to the most wins in the NBA the final three seasons of his tenure -- before he was stunningly fired after a second-round playoff exit this spring.
His arrival in Detroit is good timing for a team flush with cap space, led by a GM who wants to upgrade the roster this summer. While the Pistons will never be a top-tier free agent destination, a coach as well-liked as Williams boosts their appeal. Not only does he have a track record of making players better, the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year is "just one of the greatest dudes on this earth," said former Suns star Mikal Bridges.
"It’s going to be a selling point, for sure," said Troy Weaver. "Whenever you have this caliber of coach, guys will look at you a little different and we expect that to happen. And we’ll make sure that coach is positioned the right way to help us when it comes to free agency."
One name to watch is Cam Johnson, who was molded by Williams in Phoenix before being dealt this season to the Nets as part of the Kevin Durant trade. A strong wing defender who can shoot the three -- 42 percent over the last two seasons -- Johnson fits the Pistons' needs to a T.
The 27-year-old is a restricted free agent, so the Nets can match any offer that comes his way. But if the Pistons want to pursue him, Williams will at least give them a seat at the table. Honesty seems to be Williams' guiding principle. When asked Wednesday about his recruiting skills, he said, "I generally don't pitch, I just share the vision."
"I talk about how we coach and how we serve and how we love on them and their families," he said. "I give them the good and what may not be so good, so that they can make an informed decision. The last thing I want to do is sell someone something and then they get here and they’re surprised."
Williams is a coach, not a car salesman. And ideally, a roster full of young talent in Detroit will start to sell itself.
"For me, being straight with guys typically allows for them to make a better decision," Williams said. "I know for me as a player and as a coach, I want to know everything. ... I try to share that as best I can, so that if they decide to come and partner with us they understand what they’re getting into."
Players ultimately want to get into winning. If Williams can bring that to Detroit like he did to Phoenix, his resume will only be a piece of the Pistons' allure.
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